Duvernoy's Gland Secretions in Colubrid Snakes, pg 2

How dangerous is colubrid venom? The answer to that question varies. It depends, for one thing, on who you ask. Most importantly, it also depends on the snake, both in terms of its personality, the chemistry of its Duvernoy's gland secretions (the salivary secretions of some colubrids are absolutely non-toxic), the architecture of its mouth and jaw, and the size and location of its teeth. In Texas, and presumably throughout North America, none of the native colubrids are thought to be dangerously venomous (though they may pose hazards to children, elderly persons, and individuals with unusually sensitive or compromised immune systems). This is not true in other parts of the world, where certain native colubrids are considered nearly as dangerous as the vipers and elapids they coexist with.

But, before we go into those issues, we first need to ask which colubrids have Duvernoy's glands that produce venomous secretions. This discussion on that is confined to the snakes found in North America. First, we need to look at the kinds of Duvernoy's glands that North American snakes possess.

Duvernoy's glands are actually an advanced kind of salivary gland (see Kardong, 1982). These were modified, many geneticists believe, in accord with what has come to be called the Red Queen Principle of selective adaptation, to produce toxic secretions. This is a controversial subject, however, as some consider the distinction between Duvernoy's glands and venom glands a non sequitur. I am presently undertaking an in depth review of the literature on this subject and will flesh my findings out in this thread as my grasp improves. In the meantime, feel free to contact me in you have specific questions on this topic ----  j.c.  NEXT PAGE  under construction ---- Page Menu:   1  *  2  *

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